An Analysis of Leadership and Management in M&S Operations

This report examines the roles of leaders and managers in the context of Marks & Spencer (M&S), a multinational retailer. It explores the differences between leadership and management, the key roles of managers and leaders, and different management and leadership theories such as Fayol's management theory, system leadership, situational leadership, chaos theory, management by objectives, and contingency theory. The report analyzes how these theories and roles impact organizational operations, particularly in operations management, including approaches such as Six Sigma and lean production. It discusses the importance of effective leadership and management in improving operational efficiencies, making recommendations for future improvements, and considering the influence of external business environmental factors on decision-making processes within M&S.

Management
And
Operations

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
1) Introduction of organisation ...................................................................................................3
2) Managers and Leader and difference between leadership and management..........................3
3) Different roles of management and leadership by applying a range of management theories
and concepts................................................................................................................................5
4) Different management and leadership theories......................................................................6
5) Conclusion on how managers and leaders make impacts on organisation.............................7
TASK 2 ...........................................................................................................................................7
1) Operation management and key approaches adopted by organisation...................................7
2) Roles and responsibilities of managers and leaders in successful management of operation 8
3) Importance and value of the key approaches to operations management...............................9
4) Impact of External business environmental factors on decision making process ..................9
5) managers and Leaders could be effective in improving operational efficiencies.................10
6)Conclude and suggest recommendations for future improvements ......................................11
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Operations management is a specific area in which management designed and controlled
the procedure of manufacturing along with modification of operational activities in terms of
goods and services. In other words, It is a production process whose main objective to
manufacture goods with better quality so that, organisation can achieve their targets in limited
period time. Leaders and managers plays an essential role in the operations management because
they have responsibilities to motivate their staff members due to which, staff members gave their
maximum efforts in assigned task. The organisation is taken for this assignment is Marks and
Spencer. M&S is dealing in retail sector and providing various products to their customers such
as clothing, Home accessories etc. along with headquarters in UK. In this report we will discuss
about the role and characteristics of Leaders and managers. Strength and weaknesses, Interior
and exterior elements and their influence are also covered in report.
TASK 1
1) Introduction of organisation
M&S is a Multinational retailer with headquarters in London. It was established in 1884
by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer. It has a huge brand image and also listed in LSE
(London stock exchange). Organisation have speciality in providing luxury food items, clothing
and home accessories. M&S has more than 1300 stores in the world which includes 979 in UK
and rest are located in various countries such as India, Canada, France etc. they have more than
80000 employees who are providing services in their stores across the world. Structure of
organisation is Flat.
2) Managers and Leader and difference between leadership and management
Manager and Leaders are an essential part of the organisation because their guidance and
supports provide assistance to employees due to which, they will provide maximum efficiencies
in achievement of goals (Hugos, 2018).
Managers: It is the person who have responsibilities to make decisions in effective
manner so that, organisation will achieve their preset objectives along with monitoring activities
of their workers with increasing their skills and strengths.
Leaders- It is defined as a person or a thing who have a long experience in its field along
with ability to controlling workers and monitoring their activities. In addition to this, Its prior

responsibility to defining roles and duties to their team members so that, they will provide better
results in future time.
Roles of a Leader
Building team – For achieving better results, Leaders have to formulate teams in the
organisation due to which, employees will provide combined efforts. furthermore, Leader is the
person who have responsibility to taking effective outcomes from their team members. For this,
they increases their interest and performance level towards assigned task therefore, effective
outcome will be received by the management in near future.
Supportive – Leaders have responsibilities to providing supports to their team members
during or completing the task due to which, all activities related to the task will completed in
effective manner. It also helps employees in building their confidence level and morale so that,
they will face challenges and difficulties during the task. A leader have to recognise all the needs
and demands of their team members in order to getting better results (Glasstone, 2012).
Roles of a manager
Formulating plans and policies- Before starting operational activities in the
organisation they have responsibility to make effective plans and strategies which provide
assistance to employees for performing in effective manner.
Monitoring and controlling- Managers have obligation to monitoring and controlling
the operational activities in order to providing quality products to their customers along with
proper utilisation of resources.
Difference between leadership and management
Basis Leadership management
Focus Leadership is only focuses on
the preset objectives of Marks
and Spencer.
Management have to focus on
formulating plans and policies
so that, organisational goals
will be achieved in limited
time period.
Approach to uncertainty In leadership, Leaders
experience in their field so
that, they can face any kind of
Managers have skills so that,
the risk will be reduced in
effective manner.

challenges which have no
certainty.
Responsibilities In leadership, leaders have
obligations for providing better
results to organisation for this,
they have to provide training
programmes to their
employees in order to
eliminating inefficiency.
Managers have responsibility
to directing and defining roles
and duties to their employees
for this, they make suitable
plans and policies for getting
effective outcomes.
Orientation Leaders have to maintain
friendly nature in the
organisation through which
employees can taking solutions
of their own problems.
Managers should create a
communication structure due
to which, all level of
employees can convey
informations with all.
3) Different roles of management and leadership by applying a range of management theories
and concepts
Management is defined as a social process that includes effective planning for the future
period so that, the fulfilment of organisational purposes can be done in systematic manner. For
more understanding the different functions of management and leadership Henri Fayol's
management theory can be used which is briefly explained as under:
 Planning – It is first function of management in which managers have to formulate plans
and policies in order to getting better results from industrial processes.
 Organising – In this, management have to allocate the resources of organisation and
utilising them in optimum manner. Resources may be raw materials, manufactured goods
etc. (Hitt,2017).
 Leading – Managers of M&S have to encourage their employees in order to achieving
effective outcomes from them in future time.

 Coordinating – Management of organisation have to properly define roles and
responsibilities to their employees along with separating them in teams due to which,
organisational goals will be achieved in time period.
 Controlling – In this, management of M&S have to control and regulate all the activities
which are performed in the organisation so that, they will solve the conflicts and
organisation will get profitability in future.
Leaders and managers have to perform various roles in M&S due to which organisation can
achieve their preset objectives in limited time period. Workers of the organisation have to
perform their tasks in effective manner in which leaders provides support to them. There are
different conditions where leaders and managers have to play their roles:
Change management- In this, management have to formulate effective plans and
strategies so that, the required change will be possible in future time. Whereas, leaders have to
motivate their team members along with accepting the changes and taking their contributions for
involving in it (Kickul, 2011).
Training and development – Under this, managers have to organise training
programmes due to which, Leaders will analyse the skill and capabilities of employees and
provide informations of weak staff members to the management. For weak performers, managers
of M&S will develop training programmes.
4) Different management and leadership theories
Leadership can be defined as an act of leading a group or a group of individuals. In other
words it is defined as a research area in which a person provide its guidance for completing a
task. There are various leadership theories which M&S can be adopted they are briefly explained
as under:
System leadership – this model of leadership is improve the ability of leaders. In this,
leaders have to create a situations in the organisation in which employees have to work in
cultivable manner to potential. This theory provide assistance to managers of Marks and Spencer
in managing the problems of employees. If the staff members facing issues or difficulties in
workplace than leader have to provide solutions.
Situational leadership – In this theory, managers and leaders have to adjust their
behaviour according to the task or situation. Leaders of M&S have to adopt it because this will

build confidence level in their employees due to which, they will face challenges during the task.
Organisation will also increases profitability and sustainability in marketplace.
Chaos theory – this theory is used by organisations for their overall development. In this
theory, management have ability to adopt changes which are uncertain in nature. These changes
are related with economic crisis, perception of customers and slow down of market conditions.
For this, management have to prepared for facing such situations. These situations are called as
“chaos” In the context of M&S, the managers have to identify the chaos in marketplace which
can influences their brand image for facing such situations managers have to provide better
training to their employees so that, they will prevent losses in future.
Management by objectives- Such theory was given by Peter drucker in 1954. the main
objective of this model has to improve the profitability of organisation through clearly define the
objectives to the employees. In M&S, management have to create their objectives and clearly
define them to employees so that, they will gave maximum efforts in achieving.
Contingency theory- Through this theory, leaders have to prove their ability according
to conditions. In other words, there is not any single ways of leadership through which leaders
can perform at higher level whereas, leadership is based on conditions that enables them to
identification of individuals who can perform in critical situations at high level.
5) Conclusion on how managers and leaders make impacts on organisation
In M&S, Leaders and managers both have to play important roles in controlling business
activities so that, organisation will getting profitability in future. Leader have to motivate their
employees therefore, they will gave more contributions in the organisational goals and preset
objectives will be achieved in the given time period. Whereas, managers have to formulate plans
and strategies and implementing them in workplace so that, their workers will be performed in
determined way (Braman, 2013).
TASK 2
1) Operation management and key approaches adopted by organisation
Operations management is an administration of business practices through which
organisation can develop high level of efficiencies. In other words, it is interrelated with
converting the material into goods and services due to which, organisation can get profitability.
Staff of operations department have to maintain balance their cost so that, organisation will get

more revenue in future time. Operations management includes various resources such as raw
materials, tools and techniques etc. staff members have to effectively using them so that, they
will enhance the productivity and profitability of the firm. There are various approaches of
Operations management that are given as under:
Six Sigma- In this methodology, production department have to improve the quality of
goods through removing the unnecessary cost along with saving the time. It is a set of methods
which are uses by the management in order to improvement in process. It assists the management
of M&S in identification of weak parts of the process due to which, the organisation will get
profitability and also reduces the unnecessary cost of manufacturing the product.
Lean production – this approach of management is consider the better quality of good
and services along with reducing the unimportant cost from production process. Management of
M&S have to adopt this for reducing of wastage and quality of product will also increased.
Through which, organisation will get sustainability and growth in marketplace.
Continuous improvement – In this approach, the ongoing efforts of the employees in
various departments such as operations, finance etc. The main objective behind this to increase
motivation of their employees due to which, organisation can get overall development. In M&S
their management have to adopt this approach because it will help them in increasing their
productivity and helps them in taking growth along with providing better quality products to
their customers (Pohl, 2014).
2) Roles and responsibilities of managers and leaders in successful management of operation
In operations management, Manager have to play essential roles in maintaining the raw
material and personnel. Leaders and managers are playing important role in managing the quality
of goods and services. They should control and monitor all the operational activities such as
hiring, training and supervising along with regulating the present process of developing plans
and strategies in order to making improvement. There are some roles and responsiblities of
managers and leaders in operations management are given as under:
 Resource management - this is an essential role which has to play by the
managers. In it, managers have to manage their resources in effective manner due
to this, organisation can manufacture the better quality products and taking
competitive advantage in marketplace.

 Financial management- In this, managers and leaders have to maintain budget
and other financial accounts along with controlling the cost of firm. Managers of
M&S have to regulate all the activities of production due to which, their
production cost will be reduced and they will make quality products in effective
manner. For this, they can also uses cost control analysis which will also help
them in getting efficiency.
 Communication- The main role of operations management is to create a
communication structure in workplace. so that, communication skills will be
develop in the employees of organisation. It also provide assistance to managers
in developing healthy environment in firm so that, employees will perform on the
assigned tasks in effective manner.
3) Importance and value of the key approaches to operations management
Operations management have obligations to managing daily activities in the organisation.
Due to which, M&S can better use of their resources and they will be able to increase their
profitability. Through this, organisation can improve productivity and profitability which will
help them in taking competitive advantage in marketplace (Renz, 2016). Lean manufacture
system are important because it helps organisation in improving the efficiency of operations and
also enhance the productivity along with minimising the cost. It is a business philosophy which
is providing growth to the firm because it minimises the cost and remove wastage from the
production process. Whereas, Continuous improvement helps organisation in motivating
employees so that, they will gave more efforts in the assigned task. It also improve the quality of
products due to which organisation attains more number of customers and they will be able to
taking competitive advantage in marketplace. Therefore, It can be said that approaches which are
related with operations management are playing important role in the workplace. Through this,
organisation can improve their efficiencies in its process of production.
4) Impact of External business environmental factors on decision making process
External factors of business environment are termed as the outside factors that influences
on the business operations. The external environment is made with the outside factors which
affects the operational activities of the organisation. External factors provide positive and
negative impact on the growth of organisation due to which, brand image of firm also reduced.
For this, M&S organisation have to conduct PEST analysis through which they can easily

determine the external factors. The impact of external environment on desion making are briefly
explained as under:
 Political- these factors are regulated and controlled by the government which included
tax policy, rules and regulations of ruling government etc. Every government creates
policies for controlling decisions of business. For this, organisation have to make
effective plans and policies so that, they will easily adopted the changes which are
developed the government. If they will not make effective strategies, it will wrongly
impact on their decision making process.
 Economical – Various factors included in this part such as inflation, income level of
individuals, market trends, economical crisis in a nation. That all factors gave wrongly
impact on the decision making of organisation.
 Social – Requirements of the individuals are varied in a limited time period. Preference
of customers are based on their needs as they want products with all features which can
fulfil their needs for this, organisation have to analyse the market trends and manufacture
the products according to demand of the product (Hill, 2012). If they will not making
change in the production process it will reduce the brand image and their customers will
also reduced.
 Technological – this factor is based on advancement of tools and techniques. It also gave
wrong impact on the growth of organisation. As tools and techniques are changed
according to the time and market trends for this, production department of Marks and
Spencer have to adopt new tools and techniques. Due to which, they will provide better
quality of products to their customers. If the production department will not using latest
technologies it will directly impact on the sale of products.
5) managers and Leaders could be effective in improving operational efficiencies
The managers and leaders have to play various roles for achieving the goals and
objectives of firm. They have responsibilities to manage the productivity in organisation with the
requirement of employees and productiveness regulatory agency etc. It requires an ability to
work according to the objectives along with making effective decisions. There are various ways
of improving the efficiency of operational management which are given as under:
 Quality control – It is very important way in it, organisation have to manufacture
products as per the requirements of the customers. It provides help to M&S in

maintaining their brand image because of this, more number of customers will attracted
towards their offerings and they will earn more revenue in future time.
 Set right efficiency measurement for continuous improvement- It is more important
for an organisation to taking overall growth. But it can be possible through improvement
in all the process of operations. Through this, organisation can take right decisions for
selecting the effective tools and techniques due to which, organisation can get
improvement in their production process and they will deliver their products in better
quality to their customers (Wu, 2016).
 Document control – It defines as an ability of finding the required documents through
which, organisation can get operational efficiencies. Searching is the most important
activity of an organisation because it improve the skills of managers. By this,
organisation will keep their important documents in an effective manner.
6) Conclude and suggest recommendations for future improvements
It is analysed from above tasks that M&S are using various techniques for making
production process efficient due to which, their brand image is maintained in the marketplace
and they are attaining more number of customers. Whereas, it is recommended that organisation
have to adopt latest tools and techniques in a short period so that, their customer will reliable for
them and their productivity will also improved. Management of Marks and Spencer have to
organise various training programmes so that, their weak employees will improve their
efficiencies and gave better performance in their assigned task.
CONCLUSION
It has been concluded from the above report that management of operations plays an
crucial role in the organisation. Without effective decisions of management organisation can not
take growth and sustainability in the marketplace. Different styles of leadership can be adopted
by the organisation in order to increasing efficiency and skills in their employee. Managers and
leaders have responsibility to define duties to their employees in order to taking effective results
from them. Through managing operational activities management can achieve their
organisational objectives in allotted time period. External factors of environment gave a huge
impact on the decision making process of the organisation. Therefore, management should
consider such elements so that, they will take effective decisions for the growth of firm.

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